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Lowell parents irked at handling of school knife incident

By John Collins, jcollins@lowellsun.com

Updated:
01/31/2013 06:59:02 AM EST

LOWELL -- Several parents of children who attend the Bailey School said they disagree with Principal Jason McCrevan's decision not to formally notify all parents that a second-grade student brought a knife to the school last Thursday.

According to Bailey School parents Maranda Gaye, her fiancé, Daniel Lussier, and other parents who post on the "Friends of Bailey School Class of 2023" Facebook page, three children separately gave their parents a matching description of the knife as: "Shiny, long and black with red markings/lettering, and blade showing," Maranda Gaye said, quoting the children.

Superintendent of Schools Jean Franco confirmed that a "weapon" was brought to the Bailey School by a student on Thursday. She would not detail what action was taken against the student, but Gaye said students told their parents the student was suspended for one day.

"The student brought it in for whatever purpose, apparently to show off, but it was never taken out, never used as a threat or for bullying," said Franco, who was briefed about the incident by Ann Murphy, assistant superintendent of student-support services.

"I have not spoken to the principal about it, but I plan to do that," added Franco. "I do know he did not send a letter home (to the parents) about it... We took care of it with the people involved.

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There was a consequence."

The parents of the boy who brought the knife to school were called in for a meeting, the superintendent said.

Nearly 500 students in pre-K through Grade 4 attend the school at 175 Campbell Drive.

Lussier wants the school to communicate actively with parents.

"Given recent events in the world, I would think a simple letter to the parents would be nice, instead of being told by my frightened son," said Lussier.

Gaye is also infuriated that Bailey School staff pulled her son from his special-education class to question him, frisk him and go through his personal belongings in a search for the knife, based solely on a false accusation made by the boy who brought the knife to school, Gaye said.

Gaye said a school staff member phoned her on Thursday to report that her son had been taken out of class and brought to the principal's office. But Gaye's son later told her about the questioning and search of his person after he came home from school Thursday, she said.

The emotional trauma from the incident caused him to stay home from school on Friday, Gaye said.

Another mother also shared on Facebook on Friday that her daughter had a nightmare that was related to seeing the knife at school, Gaye said.

If accurate, Gaye said it amounted to a slap on the wrist for the offense in light of the same boy's history of misbehavior.

According to Gaye, the boy's past offenses have included: Bringing a pornographic DVD to school; causing her son to have facial bruising; cutting her son's hair "jaggedly" with an unknown instrument; and "spraying a bottle of perfume in my son's face, and telling him it was tear gas," Gaye said.

"The school's so-called 'solution' to this was to sit them down together in the office and tell (Gaye's son) that he had to be friends with (the boy)," said Gaye, a lifelong Lowell resident and "formerly proud alumni" of the Bailey School.

"My son was angry about it when he came home and told me about it."

Franco said all principals in the district would have responded to the incident in the same way.

"The principals have certain levels of responses they make in many different areas; when something happens having to do with weapons or substances they report it to the Central Office," said Franco.

"I can tell you that (Bailey) is a very well-run school ... Personal safety is something we care very dearly about."

Franco she planned to speak with McCrevan and look further into Gaye's complaints about bullying.

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